After coming out of her last fight unscathed, former women’s flyweight title challenger Katlyn Chookagian was looking for a quick turnaround. She got it, as she returns this Saturday at UFC 255.
Chookagian (14-4) had the unfortunate distinction of being the first casualty of Jessica Andrade’s arrival in the 125lb division. The former strawweight champ landed hard to the body of “Blonde Fighter” back on October 18, putting Chookagian away within a round.
Now, Katlyn Chookagian returns against another strawweight ex-pat, Cynthia Calvillo. While originally targeting a December date, Chookagian was more than happy to land the match-up for UFC 255.
“Obviously with the outcome of that [last fight] I was definitely eager to get back in there and get a win,” Chookagian told Cageside Press during this week’s UFC 255 media day. “So I was asking the UFC to fight in December. My teammate, Sijara Eubanks, is fighting in December. So I figured, if I’m sparring with her and helping her out for this camp, I might as well fight too.”
Prior to the Andrade fight, Chookagian raised some eyebrows after making comments hinting at retirement. While she clarified that she’s not done yet, Chookagian admitted this week that “I’m getting towards the tail end of my career, and I want to start having a family and switching to that part of my life.”
That said, people certainly jumped the gun on the retirement talk. “As soon as I said that, everyone’s like ‘her head’s not in it. This is her last fight!’ I didn’t say it was my last fight. I don’t even know when my last fight would be.”
Chookagian insists that she’s still “super into it” when it comes to fighting. Looking back to the Andrade bout, she recalled that “I have my fight and then four days later, my husband’s like, ‘oh, what are you doing?'” Chookagian was already planning to drive to New Jersey to spar. “Obviously, right after my fight, I’m going to spar, so I’m still into it. I’m just going with the flow, not thinking about it too far ahead of time. I’m not thinking about anything past Saturday.”
UFC 255 takes place Saturday, November 21 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main card airs live on PPV following online and televised prelims.
